New camera keeps eye on museum progress

It may lack the production values of an IMAX theater but there's a camera following the activities on the Sears block in Downtown Peoria.

Steve Tarter

It may lack the production values of an IMAX theater but there's a camera following the activities on the Sears block in Downtown Peoria.

At www.buildtheblockcam.com, progress of construction of the Peoria Riverfront Museum is being monitored by a video camera mounted on the roof of a Downtown building across the street from the site.

The block cam was set up by IT360, an information technology company with offices in the Illinois Antique Center building, 311 Water St.

"We've had a lot of people ask about construction down here. With our offices down here, we've got a front-row view," said Matt Machala, vice-president and co-owner of IT360.

The camera takes a picture of the block every five seconds and also records a daily image that will be archived, allowing for a video record of the project to be provided through time-lapse photography, he said.

For IT360, the camera concept is just one of many tech projects undertaken by a company that started in 2006. "We provide technical solutions for about 150 companies, mostly small businesses here in central Illinois," said Machala.

The companies IT360 works with usually lack an IT component of their own, he said.

"We try to offer a technology department in smaller businesses and organizations that do not have the need or resources to hire an in-house support staff," said Machala.

Started by Machala and co-owner Don Dawson, who is company president, IT360 now has eight employees and will soon have nine, Machala said.

Gov. Pat Quinn referenced the Peoria IT firm in a recent news release regarding the state's small business tax credit provided to businesses of 50 or fewer employees that add employees.

"The state's small business tax credit has enabled us to hire a full-time systems engineer, strengthen our team and position ourselves for additional work," Machala said.

With the riverfront camera in place, IT360 now looks to set up other video cams in the central Illinois area, said Machala.